Crystal River current., 1887-05-07
A Grandfather For Sale.

tits all very well for you. Cabot. to
quote that tritc remark about rank be-
ing only the guinea's stamp. You
know as well as do that the social
guinea-here in Boston, of all places
must be stamped before it will 20 into
circulation. Society strongly resembles
retail trade in this one particular. Let
me offer a lump of the purest gold to
any small dealer as payment for the
goods I have bought of him. and he
would at once say he'd rather have the
dirtiest bank-note in town than my I'M
stamped metal; wouldn't he?"
well. l suppose he would. If we
were in more primitive state of exis-
tence the yellow metal, as it came from
mother earth, would satisfy our greed.
Now it has to be vouched for as gold
before it can take its proper position
among tho other circulating mediums.
Exactly SO! And as we are not in
AFFIRMATIVE state. but a very highly
cultured one, /. for example, need to
have stamp before can pass muster.
All the wealth my Midas of father
left to me will not take me more than
just SO far; yet dress according to the
laws of to-day. 1 don't eat with my
knife, know how to raise my hat to q
lady; in short, fatter myself that l
make fairly good appearance. But
have no grand father worth speaking
Of" And though there was mock
rathnc i'm his touo MuvvuoI1 ~,
meant more of what he said than be
would have been willing his companion
should suspect
Edgar Cabot glanced at him little
contemptuously; then he allowed his
eyes to wander envously around the
luxurious appointments of Maxwell's
rooms. Everything bespoke an abund-
Ance OF both money and taste on the
casual observer would never have sup
posed that man who could appreciate
the engravings and books which crowd
ed the walls and tables was mush-
room of an hour. the son of a man who
had amassed large fortune by the
manufacture Of rum. and judicious spec
ulations in stocks and mines. The mo-
ment that Tom Jennings business and
all other possessions fell into his sons
hands. that young man sold the obnox-
i0us distilleries and went abroad for
three years to finish the studies his faith
ar had sent him there to begin. Old
Tom Jennings had the sense to know
that he could never aspire to any higher
position in life than the one he was born
into; but he was determined to make
Max a gentleman" and SO far as Guilt
walton and study could do it, he sue
ceeded.
by Jupiter. Jennings, if 1 had 1.-THE
of your money wouldn't care a plea
yune if l hadn't grandfather" sighed
Cabot, whose bank account was as short
as his pedigree was long.
'.And Cabot. would give hundred
thousand dollars this minute If had
one of your dignified ancestors" Jen-
nings answered earnestly. Eyes. I'd
give it gladly if | in any way could
claim q great-uncle or grandfather of
motel"
"a fellow has perfect right to sell
what is Individually his own, hasn't
hep" asked Cabot. thoughtfully.
'Of course he has,"
Il, as everyone knows, am the last
of my line of the Cabots. The births
in my family this last hundred years
have been in inverse proportion to the
deaths. There has been a frightful
mortality among us. If die chiIdless,
as now seems probable-my divorced
wife being in disgustingly robust health
there will be no one to pride himself
on the dead-and-gone Cabots. SO. Jenn-
ings' I've a mind to sell them out to
you. am badly in want of money;
you think yourself-or, to be more ex-
act DIR. and Mrs. Randall think YOU
badly in want of ancestors What
will you give me for. say old Colonel
Cabot? The one. you know, who was
killed in King Philips war;
What an absurd idea!' exclaimed
Jennings, with laugh.
''Not at all absurd. The old codger
is now my great-uncle; if sell him to
you, why. of course. he'll be yours.
Or, if you don't like him, there's my
grandfather, Judge Cabot-how will
no fill your billp Now, Jennings, don't
look SO amused. assure you I am in
dead earnest am SO hard up I'd sell
my soul--much more such trifle az q
grandfather-for q hundred thousand
dollars.
Jennings knew that Cabot spoke the
truth about his financial condition, and,
Uoin6 q kVou.nntuIo Ao4AoW, WHO was
grateful to Cabot for several introduce
lions which he valued very highly,
especially the one to the aforemention-
ed Randalls. determined to help Cabot
out Of his pecuniary quagmire by hui
moring him In his ridiculous PROPOSE
ton.
Il declare, Cabot, If the thing were
feasible I'd accept your offer with i'm
mense gratitude, But suppose should
tell any one that Judge Cabot, belonged
to me, who would believe mep'
EFF you were to buy him of me you'd
give me a receipt for him, supposee
Just as I would give you a receipt for
the money you paid to me for him"
Certainly should" answered Jen-
nings. laughing at the idea. of giving
4 receipt for an ancestor.
sfChan xaa, .f,auld 4r,,fhfaallu sayz that